title: Understanding the medicines information-seeking behaviour and information needs of South African long-term patients with limited literacy skills.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although much health information-seeking behaviour (HISB) research has been reported in patients with good literacy skills, little is known about HISB in patients with limited literacy skills served by under-resourced health-care systems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate medicine information-seeking behaviour and information needs in patients with limited literacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a question guide, four focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to explore themes related to information needs, information-seeking practices and awareness of and ability to utilize information sources. Twenty-two isiXhosa-speaking long-term patients with limited formal education were recruited from a primary health-care clinic in South Africa. Discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. NVivo(®) was used for initial coding of transcripts. Codes were analysed, and potential themes and subthemes in the entire data set were identified and refined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of this study reflect a passive, disempowered patient. Poor awareness of information sources, lack of health-related knowledge and stigma contributed to a lack of information-seeking practice, thus potentially adversely influencing patient-provider interactions. Patients neither asked questions nor were encouraged to ask questions. All expressed an unmet need for information and a desire for receiving the illustrated written medicines-related information displayed in the FGDs. The main sources of information were health-care professionals, followed by family and friends.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significant level of patient disempowerment and passivity reported amongst patients underpinned their inability to actively seek information. Neither sources of information nor types of appropriate medicines information could be identified. Unmet information needs and a desire for information were reported.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sonal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Ros
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dowse
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: health information-seeking behaviour; health literacy; information needs; limited literacy; long-term medication; patients